MACs

Medicare auditors would boost outreach and education efforts to long-term care and other providers under the provisions of a draft bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), chairman of the Ways and Means health subcommittee.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should move faster to make changes based on Medicare audits and should have more direct oversight over Medicaid, according to bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday. "The Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act of 2013" proposes a variety of reforms to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse. The PRIME Act was introduced by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Reps. John Carney (D-DE) and Peter Roskam (R-IL).

As part of its pushback against the manual review process for therapy claims, the American Health Care Association has launched a clearinghouse to gather provider feedback. AHCA President Mark Parkinson described the RAC-led review process as "bifurcated, confusing and wholly inappropriate" in a four-page letter sent to Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner last week.